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Sign Up HereLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Sign Up HereLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Sign Up HereLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Sign Up HereLearn how ASSISTments teachers and coaches have responded to the challenges of teaching during COVID with innovative strategies and methods that ensure high quality instruction for students, whether in the classroom or from a distance.
Watch This WebinarASSISTments is a flexilbe tool that can be integrated into your classroom in multiple ways. Explore how ASSISTments supports instruction in different classroom models
Watch This WebinarU.S. Education Department found only three technologies met stringent criteria for being effective. ASSISTments was one of them. Read more in this article by Jill Barshay in The Hechinger Report.
Continue ReadingBrian Story, one of our Teacher Engagement Managers, overviews the importance of equity and inclusion in the classroom and what research tells us about how you can use ASSISTments to do so.
Continue ReadingListen to this podcast about effective teaching and distance learning tools including ASSISTments.
Continue ReadingHear how Claire's involvement with the ASSISTments' Teachers For Research & Feedback opportunites has deepened her understanding of the data she gets from ASSISTments and how best to use that data to serve her students’ math learning needs.
Continue ReadingWe’ve come to realize that due to their extensive background in navigating technology, it has prepared students to elevate their learning this year. Learn how to capture that with these joyful experiential learning methods.
Continue ReadingWhen a snow globe is shaken, quite often something is revealed that couldn’t be seen at first. The same can be said for teaching and learning this year. Teachers have been pushed to uncover new methods and techniques to meet the needs of our students while following all of the new safety mandates. Check out these tips from 5th Grade teacher Kelly King.
Continue ReadingASSISTments is excited to release the Illustrative Math 6-8 Accelerated curriculum.
Continue ReadingThere are advantages and challenges to learning in the classroom and learning at home. We take a look at how you can prepare students for both.
Continue ReadingIn January 2021, IES/What Works Clearinghouse published a review that looked at 932 studies evaluating the effects of distance learning practices or programs on student academic outcomes. ASSISTments is one of only 4 programs that came out with their top rating.
Continue ReadingThe idea for the “Breakout Room in a Box'' was born from the expressed need from teachers for ready-made supports that mirror virtually the way teachers facilitate small groups in the classroom.
Continue ReadingRecently, there has been a lot of time for middle school teacher Alfons Prince to reflect on where the field of education is at and where it can go. This post contains the top five things he wishes he knew when he began.
Continue ReadingAs we look ahead, we look forward to continuing to be inspired by the dedication of teachers to meet the needs of their students, no matter the circumstances. This post focuses on what great math teachers do, and how ASSISTments fits in.
Continue ReadingASSISTments co-founder Cristina Heffernan shares a few things she’s especially excited about for 2021, and thinks you will be too.
Continue ReadingIncreasing student autonomy may result in increased engagement, self-esteem, satisfaction, and learning in your classroom.
Continue ReadingWe are looking for ASSISTments teacher-users who teach 6th, 7th or 8th grade and use EngageNY, Eureka Math, Kendall Hunt Illustrative Math, or OpenUp Resources.
Continue ReadingThe idea of a blended learning model means you are accommodating multiple student needs within your teaching. Read this blog to learn how to successfully implement it.
Continue ReadingWe break down 4 big ideas on more effective instruction with ASSISTments into lots of tips for you to implement today. You can help your math students work smarter in the face of complex challenges.
Continue ReadingThe ASSISTments platform has been updated to include the latest Kendall Hunt/Illustrative Math: Version B assessments for grades 6-8.
Continue ReadingThe notion of a growth mindset may not be inherent to students. What should you be implementing right now in order to foster that with your math students? This post offers an answer.
Continue ReadingFor Holli Hudson, Introducing ASSISTments to her instructional practice gave her freedom and flexibility to meet students’ needs at an individual level. Read more on her journey on before/after ASSISTments.
Continue ReadingMike Tarka uses Skillbuilders to create differentiated homework assignments and assign them individually to meet students at their level. It’s been one of the easiest choices I’ve made to benefit my students.
Continue ReadingMany people think only about quizzes and homework assignments when they hear “formative assessment,” but the 5-Step Formative Assessment Process is multifaceted. There’s so much more potential where both teacher and students play a crucial role for learning.
Continue ReadingChances are you’re probably already using formative assessment in class. When you assign homework, quizzes, or projects you’re hitting one part of a process proven to impact student learning. Learn about this flexible 5-part process. It helps ensure instruction response to student needs.
Continue ReadingASSISTments is looking for new or novice ASSISTments users to join our Virtual Professional Learning Community (PLC) during Spring 2021 (Jan - May)!
Continue ReadingGet a sneak peek at the many tools and features within ASSISTments focused on improving and promoting various forms of feedback - and more currently in development.
Continue ReadingNeil Heffernan and Cristina Heffernan, founders of ASSISTments, explain why ASSISTments forever-free accounts support students' math learning.
Continue ReadingThe latest ASSISTments product update adds the functionality to download Assignment Reports, upload scores to Google Classroom, and assign the teacher role to other teachers.
Continue ReadingIs your homework helping students learn? Have you given up on homework because you think it has lost value? Veteran math teacher Andrew Burnett has finally found a way to make homework an effective learning opportunity for his students.
Continue ReadingDue to the pandemic, teachers are grappling with how to support students with unfinished learning. This blog post consists of tried and true tips on how you can create differentiated learning opportunities for students with diverse academic needs.
Continue ReadingListen to this podcast where ASSISTments co-founder Dr. Neil Heffernan joins Michael Palmer to talk about how his career interweaves great teaching, computer science, and “ASSISTments” – a set of digital tools designed to make homework assignment and evaluation more efficient.
Continue ReadingWatch ASSISTments co-founders Neil and Cristina Heffernan speak on adaptive tutors in Justin Reich's book club.
Continue ReadingDiagnostic Assessments for Eureka Math developed by the Louisiana Department of Education now in ASSISTments (grades 4-8, Algebra I), plus update to Eureka Unit Assessments
Continue ReadingBack in high school, Brian Story ended his Algebra course thinking that mistakes were bad and “I’m just not good at Algebra.” This experience led him to develop a growth mindset and made him a stronger educator.
Continue ReadingShift from a fixed mindset - where students are trained to wait for the teacher to provide them feedback on their individual learning - to a growth mindset, where students seize opportunities with immediate feedback and actionable data.
Continue ReadingGet to know the newest teacher leaders from the ASSISTments community to become Ambassadors. They represent educators from across the country. These are their stories, from the classroom.
Continue ReadingA Worcester Polytechnic Institute professor is spearheading innovative crowdsourcing research to help educators and students.
Continue ReadingThis middle school math teacher joins ASSISTments professional learning to get into her "blindspot," by seeing how other teachers are responding to the same challenges and setting the pace in their classrooms using the same flexible tool.
Continue ReadingThe ASSISTments platform is now updated to ensure our Illustrative Math assignments fully align to the most up to date version from Kendall Hunt.
Continue ReadingAn online math teaching tool developed at Worcester Polytechnic Institute has been used by thousands of teachers adjusting to distance learning during the pandemic.
Continue ReadingSchools are in session within a classroom, completely online, or a hybrid of both. How do you keep up with the paradigm shift? What will it take to get ahead? Three teachers who joined our August webinar 'Getting the Best Start With Students and Families In Class and From a Distance' give their response.
Continue ReadingSince the shift to distance learning began in March more than 25,000 teacher from all 50 states and internationally have signed up for ASSISTments accounts.
Continue Reading(Opportunity now closed) ASSISTments is seeking diverse 7th grade math teachers with experience using Engage NY and/or Eureka Math for a paid opportunity to support the development of two new features within our platform.
Continue ReadingThe impact of distance learning has not hit communities equitably. At a time when access to technology has become a must-have for learning to continue, there continues to be a digital divide along race, socioeconomic and geographic lines. Read more to find out how ASSISTments provides support for teachers.
Continue ReadingHave you ever caught yourself wondering how much difference it would make for your students if you had more time to give thoughtful feedback? This is the second blog post in our series on Evidence-Based Instructional Practices that sheds light on teaching practices grounded in learning science.
Continue ReadingASSISTments holds a unique position in the edtech space due to our passion for learning science and the bridge we build between educators and researchers to drive advances in education research. This post delves into two of the key components of that bridge.
Continue ReadingSee how Andrew Burnett uses ASSISTments and the other tools in his edtech toolbox to enhance his instructional practice. Andrew Burnett is a 7th Grade Math Teacher in Newton, Massachusetts. He is an ASSISTments Ambassador who has been using the program as a tool for formative assessment in his classroom since 2008.
Continue ReadingCristina transitioned from her role as Chief Strategy Officer with The ASSISTments Project @ WPI, in July of 2020. She and her husband, Co-Founder, Neil Heffernan have been innovating and developing ASSISTments since 2003.
Continue ReadingHow relevant is homework anymore? We're reconsidering the new realities of today’s learning environments and how they can best serve student learning.
Continue ReadingAdapted from NCTM 100 Days of Professional Learning talk on how QuickComments allows teachers to give feedback powered by AI.
Continue ReadingThrough this first post in our Evidence-Based Practice blog series, we aim to shed light on instructional practices grounded in learning science principles and research evidence that teachers can apply in class.
Continue ReadingTeacherASSIST is an ASSISTments feature that leverages teacher crowdsourcing to amplify and support teaching and learning across all ASSISTments users. Read more about our work and research using crowdsourcing.
Continue ReadingNeil Heffernan, professor at WPI, received the largest award in FY 2019 - $4.98 million to scale and expand ASSISTments over the next five years.
Continue ReadingRead more about our work on using teacher crowdsourcing to improve student learning in this article by Jill Barshay in The Hechinger Report.
Continue Reading7th grade math teacher Thea Durling spent two years on the TeacherASSIST project, developing hints and exemplars to support other ASSISTments users in providing personalized feedback to students
Continue ReadingIn middle school, concepts start to build on each other to form new, complex material. This North Carolina teacher describes how ASSISTments supports her teaching practice to differentiate and scaffold complex material.
Continue ReadingA message from Neil Heffernan, introducing a new nonprofit, The ASSISTments Foundation! Building the foundation is an essential step in growing ASSISTments and impacting more students and teachers.
Continue ReadingBenchmark tests allow teachers to see what students have learned at the end of turning point of a unit.
Continue ReadingWhen faced with a wrong answer, how do you respond? Learn how Barbara Delaney teaches her students how to respond to wrong answers to inform their learning.
Continue ReadingHow can EdTech tools be used to help teachers make the most of limited classroom time? Former teacher and ASSISTments team member Cindy Starks weighs in with her best recommendations.
Continue ReadingIn this study, we put the ASSISTments platform to the test to understand the impact of artificial intelligence in education for web-based homework in comparison to traditional homework. We found that students learned reliably more in the web-based homework condition, even without the benefits of additional tutoring features such as hints and feedback messages.
Continue ReadingASSISTments was developed by husband and wife duo Neil and Cristina Heffernan.As a professor of computer science and learning technologies, Neil is able to collaborate with fellow professors, researchers and PhD students to enhance the ASSISTments platform. As a former middle school math teacher Cristina keeps the project focused on teachers.
Continue ReadingDr. Botelho is a research scientist with the ASSISTments lab. Before his PhD, Anthony completed his undergraduate in Interactive Media at Becker College and his Masters in Computer Science at WPI.
Continue ReadingBrian Story is an ASSISTments Teacher Engagement Manager in North Carolina. Learn more about Brian!
Continue ReadingCindy is excited to be on the team because it will allows to "have a positive impact on math teaching and learning while also learning about best teaching practices and working with ASSISTments."
Continue ReadingDonna Lee Tignor is a long-time ASSISTments teacher mentor. Read how she started with ASSISTments!
Continue ReadingMegan will work alongside Neil & Cristina Heffernan in the leadership of the organization to help us spread ASSISTments across the US. We are looking forward to Megan's non-profit leadership experience as well as her ability to help us grow and scale ASSISTments.
Continue ReadingDr. Sarah Irish has been involved with ASSISTments since the Maine Replication Study! Learn about Sarah's experience as an ASSISTments user and teacher mentor.
Continue ReadingAs a Project Coordinator, JA arranges the content building for all the curricula on ASSISTments! Read more about JA's background and passion for education.
Continue ReadingJohn Erickson is a PhD student in Data Science at Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Continue ReadingDr. Ostrow is a Research Scientist at Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Continue ReadingMarch is the senior PhD student in the ASSISTments lab! March is passionate about machine learning and AI, and serves as a supervisor to his fellow PhD students.
Continue ReadingA study conducted at MIT's Poverty Action Lab was recently featured in the U.S. News & World Report concluded that ASSISTments is one of two promising educational technologies in the US. The study praised ASSISTments for its impact on student learning and the tool’s compatibility with schools’ existing curricula and textbooks.
Continue ReadingSRI International ran an independent study on the efficacy of ASSISTments. This study allowed ASSISTments to meet the highest What Works Clearinghouse standard for “positive effect without reservations” and to receive a Tier 1 rating by Evidence for ESSA. The study showed that with the use of ASSISTments supported student learning as a whole and helped close achievement gaps.
Continue ReadingThis study explores the ability of an Intelligent Tutoring System (ITS) to increase parental engagement in student learning. A parental notification feature was developed for the web-based ASSISTments ITS that allows parents to log into their own accounts and access detailed data about their students’ performance. This research investigates the impacts of parental involvement on student learning outcomes.
Continue ReadingWe ran a randomized controlled trial on two ASSISTments features: Skill Builders and Automatic Reassessment and Relearning System (ARRS). Skill Builders allows teachers to assign individual skills practice sets and ARRS automatically reassesses students on these skills. Our study showed greater performance on those skills that were reassessed and relearned.
Continue ReadingASSISTments features can help promote data conversations between teachers and students and bolster the shift toward students owning and acting on their own data.
Continue ReadingThe Symbols of Success are a powerful tool that can allow students to track their own progress through immediate feedback. Hints and wrong answers can guide students toward the correct answer. Help your students transition from a focus on “right or wrong” to a focus on the learning journey!
Continue ReadingWe asked teachers: what recommendations do you have for teachers introducing ASSISTments into the classroom? Read on for middle school math teacher Ms. Ivory Cutri’s tips and tricks!
Continue ReadingWe asked teachers: what recommendations do you have for teachers introducing ASSISTments into the classroom? Read on for middle school math teacher Mr. Josh McMillen and Ms. Katie McCrary’s tips and tricks!
Continue ReadingWhen introducing ASSISTments, teachers can show students how to use the tool to inform their learning, focusing on owning their progress rather than a grade.
Continue ReadingAre you ready to get started using the ASSISTments in your classroom? Before diving in, it can be helpful to try out our Practice Set to help your class get acclimated to the platform. The practice set is designed to help students explore problem types and progress reports they will encounter using ASSISTments. Happy practicing!
Continue ReadingCompleting homework assignments allows students to practice their skills—and then receive feedback on their work from teachers. Based on student homework, teachers can assess how each student is performing independently outside of the context of the classroom. Teachers can make the most of Common Wrong Answers to support students during homework review sessions.
Continue ReadingIt is important that educators know which interventions and products actually work. In order to accomplish that goal, the U.S. Department of Education hosts the What Works Clearinghouse (WWC), an institution that evaluates educational interventions to see which work and which are simply flops. Neil Heffernan provides an update about the WWC’s approval of a study that shows the efficacy of ASSISTments.
Continue Reading2019 Video Competition. Students, share how ASSISTments helps you learn.
Continue ReadingOver 2800 students from 43 schools from Maine participated in a year long study. 75% of students improved, find out how we affected them in a positive way.
Continue Reading“We had the guts to expose ourselves” to randomized control trials, says ASSISTments founder Neil Heffernan in this US News & World Report article
Continue ReadingThe Boston Globe profiles ASSISTments founder Neil Heffernan, who tells the story of his experience as a middle school math teacher and how a brain tumor inspired him to start ASSISTments.
Continue ReadingTwo grants from the Institute for Educational Sciences (IES) totaling over $7 million have been awarded to education researchers studying the impact of ASSISTments. Large and rigorous randomized controlled trials of online education tools for K-12 education are difficult to conduct and analyze. These grants will build upon a prior ASSISTments trial conducted by SRI Education, which was important in that it provided hard, comparative evidence of the impact of education technology.
Continue ReadingPodcast interview with ASSISTments co-founders Neil and Cristina Heffernan about their inspiration for ASSISTments, their dedication to research-backed impact and what’s next for the online platform.
Continue ReadingThere’s no doubt that education technology can make a big difference in the classroom. But the facts show that the key to closing the achievement gap is not providing more technology to students, but rather putting the right ed tech into the hands of teachers.
Continue ReadingIn the United States, there is an ongoing debate about whether homework is worthwhile, with critics saying that it’s busywork at best and, at worst, it’s detrimental to student learning. Only, the problem isn’t homework itself but how homework is done. Instead of implementing “no homework” policies, WPI professor and ASSISTments founder Neil Heffernan proposes that we can and should use technology to improve how students do their homework — or at least their math homework.
Continue ReadingMiddle school math classes have worked in much the same way for decades. Teachers send students home with a textbook and a set of problems. Students work out the solutions on paper and bring the answers in the next day. That changed at about 40 Maine schools, where students, mostly seventh-graders, tested out ASSISTments.
Continue ReadingA veteran math teacher puts ASSISTments to the test and reports on how second-year algebra students learn to persevere in completing homework assignments through the use of the online homework platform. She showcases the tool’s ability to deliver instant feedback and embed video explanations in problem sets.
Continue ReadingASSISTments serves as a unique shared scientific instrument in the social science world, continuing the forward push to do more randomized controlled experiments. Social science can reap the benefits of our cultural shift to the digital world and the many ways people interact with online platforms.
Continue ReadingResearchers are using tools borrowed from medicine and economics to figure out what works best in the classroom. Much of the new research goes beyond the simple metric of standardized tests to study learning in progress and the findings are beginning to fill in some blanks in that hugely complex puzzle called education.
Continue ReadingResults of a randomized control trial conducted by SRI Educational Research in public schools in Maine and published in the journal AERA Open by the American Education Research Association clearly quantify the benefits of ASSISTments. The study shows that ASSISTments is effective in helping close the learning gap.
Continue ReadingThe New York Times profiles husband and wife team, Neil and Cristina Heffernan, and how they chose to address the achievement gap through a computer program that can mimic the individualized feedback of a human tutor.
Continue ReadingI would absolutely recommend Teachers For Research & Feedback opportunities! Be sure to ask questions if there is something that isn't working for you! Every thought and feature I have asked about has always been met with consideration. The ASSISTments team really wants the program to work for educators and students.Teacher Created Artifacts
N/ATeacher Created Artifacts
I love using science and data to help guide my work in terms of what works and what could be done better. My work with ASSISTments on the study enabled me to enhance my lessons and the impact was truly amazing! The students have made unbelievable gains that we would not have seen had we not been part of the research.Teacher Created Artifacts
Being on both sides of the ASSISTments work (as a teacher-user, and as a teacher-researcher supporting the development of new features) has helped me continue to grow as an educator. It also has been a great opportunity to speak to other educators who are also using the program in the classroom and helping with the project out of the classroom.Teacher Created Artifacts
I loved this teacher leadership opportunity to give feedback on a program I use, and where my voice as a practitioner is valued. As the only 7 and 8th grade math teacher in my school, joining a research project gave me the chanc to collaborate with teachers who use the same content. Joining this community breaks down silos by seeing how other teachers are responding to the same challenges and seeing what happening in classrooms across the country.Teacher Created Artifacts
As a teacher, I appreciate the opportunity to provide feedback and improvement suggestions to a product I use. Through my work on the Instructional Recommendations project, I had the opportunity to dive deep into student thinking. My research gave me ideas about what would be beneficial to strengthen student understanding and identifying where students might have issues.Teacher Created Artifacts
I am committed to continuous learning and growth in my practice and enjoy collaborating with educators to improve student learning. Teacher experience and voice is unique and vital in research to improve teaching and learning. Through my research experience, I got the opportunity to think really directly and critically about the feedback. I've become better at evaluating student misconceptions, more deliberate in providing "just in time" feedback, and more creative in determining next steps for instruction in my classroom.Teacher Created Artifacts
It is so important for educational resources to be driven by feedback from current educators. Public education has not changed that much over the years, but the demands on teachers has. I love the fact that ASSISTments is not only willing, but eager to get feedback from teachers who are currently in the classroom.Teacher Created Artifacts
I am always looking for opportunities to learn and grow as an educator. As the ones using ASSISTments in our classrooms, teachers know what we want a program to do to help us improve student learning, so it’s especially important to be engaged in projects that inform new ASSISTments features. My time on this project helped me reflect on how my students think and how I can provide them the best feedback. I am so excited to take what I have learned back to my classroom and see my students grow from my own learning experiences.Teacher Created Artifacts
Through my research ASSISTments, I joined a cohort of educators seeking ways to improve instruction, engagement, and the retention of math knowledge in an ever-changing and evolving world for teachers. We all experience some of the same stressors and strive to impact our classrooms through meaningful and rigorous instruction. I gained valuable insights and information that allowed me to make better, data-driven decisions that positively impacted the learning in my classes.Teacher Created Artifacts
Our team jumped at the chance to take part in the study and try something new using ASSISTments. Education is an ever evolving realm, and it made us all realize that keeping up with proven new technology can help better meet the needs of the students in our classes.Teacher Created Artifacts